Advice From The Dead
by Esparia
Summary: Death is something every ghost knows just a little bit about and while they don't mind it, most don't want the living to face it before their time. If a little advice was given to Mikey, that was his own business. (Rated T for talk of suicide)
1. Sirens of Suicide

**Esparia's A/N: I guess you could say this has been _haunting_ me for a while. Ba-da-tch! Anyway, as much as I love reading angsty Danny (he's half dead for goodness sake) I've decided to shake it up a little. This planned to be a one-shot but... I do have a general idea if you guys want a full length fanfic? But I'll let you guys choose?**

…

Advice from the Dead

(Sirens of Suicide)

Danny had made a promise to Sidney, one he was more than happy to make. Really, he would have done it anyway but there was something that drove him a little harder to do it with Sidney's pleading request.

He had known, on some level, that Sidney had a rough life before becoming a ghost and hadn't died of natural causes. He had his suspicions that it was suicide but he knew better than to pry into the other's previous life.

Even so, it was one of those times that he had been visiting that the older ghost asked.

Keep an eye on them. The nerds especially. Look for signs, please Danny, just watch out for them. Don't let them end up like me.

So Danny did.

He kept an eye on his peers. Watching them and making sure. Some things were just off days, others were attributed to a certain ghost councilor, and others were needing their friends' and family's support. Danny did little things for them, smiling, nodding, thanking them and apologizing if need be. Things to show he saw them, acknowledged them. It wouldn't do a lot for them, but as an acquaintance it was the best he could do.

As he got into that habit, he began to notice more about those around him. When something was bothering them or when something really good must have happened. It did give him a reputation for being a kind, air headed and chronically late, but a good kid. It seemed to make others more comfortable around him. Probably grew him as a person by watching out for others like this or some cheesy nonsense like that.

However it was with this that he noticed Mikey's distancing. The nerd seemed to draw into himself and shut out his friends.

Danny only really became worried when the kid stopped protesting being shoved into his locker, not even putting up a token fight.

Danny couldn't do much. He tried, of course, to get the bullying to stop or at least lessen by directing it to himself. He tried to talk to Mikey but was brushed off, they weren't exactly close so there was a limit that Danny could push his peer.

Nonetheless, he kept watch over Mikey. Going so far as to make sure he left the school safely and checking in on the boy during patrol. Maybe it was obsessive. Maybe it was creepy. Maybe, ethically, he shouldn't have watched Mikey like an assassin staking out his target.

He was glad he did.

Danny found him over the edge of the mall's roof.

Who knew how the boy got there but got there he did.

Mikey was hunched over, sitting with his legs dangling and just staring at the ground below.

Danny floated above him for a short while before settling next to his peer.

Mikey side eyed the young ghost before looking away, cheeks reddening. His eyes were red and face drawn. The poor kid looked exhausted. It was a good sign that he wasn't standing though, he looked like he had been there for a while. Not yet likely to leap.

This was a very different type of hero work than what he typically was up against. While he could fight off ghosts, retrieve kittens from trees, and help little old ladies cross the street; this was something he couldn't actively fight or physically fix. He didn't even really know Mikey. He didn't know how Mikey felt and he didn't know anything very personal about him. He was a good acquaintance at best.

He decided to let Mikey speak first. To let him gather himself before he coaxed him away from the edge. He didn't want to spook him... haha, spook- not now, puns were so inappropriate right now. Zeesh.

Mikey peeked over at Danny, voice cracking a bit before he cleared it. "You, uh, probably think I'm pretty lame... sitting up here."

Danny tilted his head toward the human, and when did he start excluding himself as one. "No, you are not. We all have monsters we fight against, some are just not so literal."

Mikey nodded absently, looking back to the ground.

Danny floated a bit closer, legs crossed. "A friend once described it as a siren's call, death to a suicidal mind. Horrible but enchanting, drawing you away from the safety of your ship. Lulling a person into danger. It's not wrong to want to escape pain. It doesn't matter what form it comes in or if people say it's valid or not. If it's painful to you it's valid pain. It's a natural thing to want to escape it. The thing is, pain is fickle. It's temporary, it likes making itself known while it's happening and then disappears as if it was never there if not for scars it may or may not leave."

"Death though," Danny paused, hand lightly touching his still chest. "Death is very permanent. It tends to stick around. I can't say I know what you're feeling, nobody but you does. What I can tell you though is that it will get better. You still have a whole life ahead of you and that may seem daunting or like you'll just keep feeling like this. A lot can happen in even a year, but nothing can if you don't live it."

Mikey was watching the local hero, understanding but not really feeling his words. It was hard to believe that it would be better, it just seemed empty.

Danny smiled slightly. "You don't have to believe that right away. I don't think anyone does the first time."

Mikey looked away before turning back to ask, "can... can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want! I was just wondering..."

"Sure, I'll answer almost anything." He shrugged.

"What is it like? Death?" Mikey looked up at Danny with a surprising amount of intensity.

"Uh... heh, um," Danny rubbed his hand, "which kind do you mean? Like, dying? Being a ghost?"

Mikey shrugged. "Any of it, all of it. Does it matter?"

"Well, yeah. Dying can come with varying degrees of pain." Danny grimaced. "Can't say I enjoyed it, I got a pretty, uh, painful death. Actual _dying_ though is more of a fading feel, body wise, but you're aware after and feeling pretty goodish? Like you've woken up from a dream. At least, that's what I felt. But regular death might be different, because, being a ghost and being _dead_ dead is different?"

Seeing Mikey's confused face Danny shook his head. "Ghosts can, in a sense, die. Moving on or dissipating is usually what ghosts call it. Death is usually used as a term for the end of our human lives for those who were human. Most people don't become ghosts, so death is their _death_ death. What lies beyond _that_ isn't something I've ever experienced."

Danny sighed and waved his hand. "The point is, living. Do it. Even if it's only for a single thing or person. Will your mom grieve? Yes, and that is sad. You don't want to make her sad. Dad comes home late and you're the only one to welcome him back? That makes him happy and if you're gone no one's gonna say 'glad you're back'. Take dog on walks? Well dang, if you're gone is your pupper gonna know why you're gone or is it going to think you abandoned it. It's as little as a single reason. Living.

"You know what? Homework time. Here's what we're going to do. Every time before bed you're going to list five things about the day you thought were worth seeing. Five diddly darn good things. Waking up sucked, sure, but you got to see an _awesome_ sunrise. Rain is cold, but listen to that _sound_. And that _smell_? Amazing! It doesn't matter what you list, but list five or more and think about them. Then a thing to look forward to. An upcoming video game you wanna play? Perfect! Wanna order that weird looking platter at the Mexican restaurant that will probably melt a hole in your stomach next time? At least you tried it you brave brave thing! Giving kissies to Auntie's kittens because you wanna feel fluffy fur on your face? Nothing to be ashamed of! Kittens are cute, dang it! The point of this is to see life is worth living!"

Danny flew up and over the edge of the building, floating a bit in front of the boy. "I mean look at all of this! This world is huge and beautiful!" Danny grinned and flew up to the startled boy's face, "and you get to _live_ in it. Everyday and every night, you're in a world of choices and possibilities. A world full of wonderful things and everyone forgets to see it. Depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, all those mind monsters steal that from you. They lure you like sirens and before you know it you're stuck in a whirlpool of self hatred and hopelessness. Your mind is your ship and your stuck in a dangerous current. That's why we're going to break your thought process out of there and we're going to get you back to safer waters."

Mikey pushed up his glasses, a huffing laugh at the ghostly hero's antics. Eh, what could it hurt. "Sure."

Danny beamed. "What's your name?"

"My name's Mikey."

"Cool. Well then Mikey, how would you like to go flying?"

"Flying?"

Danny gestured behind him. "Yeah, figured you'd want a lift home. No better way to travel then flying with the wind in your hair and bugs in your teeth."

Mikey snorted. "Ok, sure."

Danny wrapped his arms around the red head, lifting them slightly off the roof. "Not afraid of heights are you Mikey?"

"Ah, well, not really but-"

"Great!" With that Danny leaped over the side of the mall, diving towards the ground.

Mikey shrieked, clinging to the halfa like a baby rhesus monkey and glasses smashed into his face. "Pull up! Pull up!"

Danny laughed and swooped up, lifting high enough to skim the trees. Looking down at the cringing boy, he couldn't help but feel a little bad. "Mikey, I'm not gonna drop you. I've never dropped a passenger in my life... unlife? Afterlife? Point is, you're safe and the view is great. If you need me to go slower, just tell me, kay? It's pretty natural to me so..."

"You're fine."

Danny hummed happily and steadied into a cruise above the skyline. He could feel Mikey slowly relax as they flew in silence, only interrupted a few times for directions to Mikey's house.

Setting Mikey down in the boy's room, Danny paused before he phased out. "Hey Mikey, if it's cool with you, I'll dropped by every now and then."

Mikey's eyes widened before he nodded. "Sure, that's- that'll be fine."

Danny grinned. "Cool, see ya later Mikey! Have a good night!"

He flew out the wall without a backward glance.

"Goodnight," Mikey replied to his empty room. If he meeting Phantom was one of the five good things he listed that night was thought, it was never mentioned.

…

 **Right, so if this _does_ continue it'll be the idea of Mikey being a sort of friend of Phantom's and meeting other ghosts. I'm thinking it would be kinda like the Ghost Zone Experience by Dream Trance but I don't know if people would be interested in it with Mikey? PM me or review to let me know.**


	2. Of Mice

**Esparia's A/N: Well, stop my heart and call me stiff. You guys liked it?! Admittedly this was pulled from my butt and I'm not satisfied with it, but I wasn't really expecting this much feedback on it. I have a vague _vague_ idea of what I'll do with this but... that's liable to change.**

Advice From The Dead

(Of Mice...)

Mikey was about as low on the food chain of high school hierarchy as anyone could be without becoming a complete social pariah. He's been there for as long as he was in school, and public schooling really was the worst when it came to deterring actual bullying. Breaking up fights? Sure, you'd get a teacher or two that'd step in. But when it comes to plain everyday harassment? It was up to him alone to stand up for himself.

He used to stay near the teachers' line of sight so he wouldn't be too physically harmed but things changed when it came to middle school and he was more on his own. He had friends, of course, but they didn't have much power over people. They were pretty much the same rank as him. That was when things started getting worse. He could handle rough treatment in gym or recess, but it changed in focus. The bullies started to realize they needed better grades and either copied or outright stole Mikey's homework. Pantsing also became a _thing_ that just seemed to mark people. It was when there suddenly was this... divide with his classmates.

The high tiered group became more influential, getting good grades through varies means and holding their positions through tyranny and fear. The middle tier didn't associate with the low tier and supported the high tiers. The low tiers were given a few options, become basic punching bags and/or sacrifice their time to the whims of the high tiers.

It was high school that it kinda combined the issues. Geeks were shoved into lockers and pushed around and nerds (who were just slightly above the geeks) would do their bully's homework. They high tiered got boiled down to a handful that were dubbed the A-Listers. They were the apple of the school's eye. They could do no wrong and everything negative about them would be overlooked and swept under the rug. It was unbelievably frustrating.

Let it not be said that he didn't _try_ to fight back... but, after a while, it just seemed pointless. Swirlies, getting shoved into lockers, the humiliation, it never really stopped even when he fought back as hard as he could. If anything, it had gotten worse before stabilizing back to the same old routines.

School, the bullying, life, did any of it matter? Did he even matter?

He wondered that more often then he probably should. He knew, on some level, that he could end it all fairly simply. There were... options at home. There were buildings tall enough.

It was on one of _those_ nights that he got enough guts to even partially go through with a plan. He never went all the way with it. Just looking at how far the ground was beneath him made his feet tingle and he'd chicken out, like the coward he was. Couldn't even take a few steps, what was wrong with him?

So it surprised him when he turned and saw a familiar ghostly figure floating beside him.

Oh he was embarrassed, and one day he'd realize he was also relieved, when he realized he was found out.

The local ghost hero had said he was going to help him. Was going to come over to see _him_ again. Mikey was a nobody, and he knew it. He was nothing, so why would the self proclaimed hero of Amity even _bother_ with someone like him when there were so many other people that could use Phantom's help? But it was kind of him to say. Phantom was kind... or evil, depending on who you listened to.

Still, Mikey wouldn't have held it against the ghost to 'forget' about what he said to Mikey.

Which is why he was so surprised when late a few nights later, Phantom flew into his room.

Well, he supposed anyone would be surprised with the local ghost zooming through their window like it was no more a hindrance than air. Which was why he now lay on the floor, beside his desk, staring at the ceiling like a total doof.

Bright green eyes blocked his view of his ceiling, slight worry but mostly amusement dancing in them. "You good there Mikey?"

He quickly stood up, embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you here?"

The phantom boy tilted his head to the side, reminding Mikey vaguely of a bird studying a particularly interesting looking bug that they may or may not eat.

"I said I'd come back and check on you, didn't I?" Not waiting for a reply, as none was expected, he continued, "so have you been doing your homework?"

"I just finished."

Danny waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, not that crap school assigns. _My_ homework? Been thinking of those five things?"

Mikey shrugged. "Couldn't really think of anything."

Danny hummed. "Okay, well, can you think of anything for today?"

Mikey shrugged again.

"Surely there was at least _one_ thing that wasn't awful."

Mikey sighed, he supposed the ghost wouldn't leave until he offered up something. "I guess it was nice that Lancer didn't assign anything today."

Danny nodded encouragingly.

"Uh, this morning there was this cloud that kind of looked like a cat, that was neat I suppose? Can't really think of anything else. Sorry."

"No it's okay, man! That was fine for a first go at it. It takes time to get into the groove of it, but hey, what would you say if I kidnapped you for an hour or so?"

"What? Why?"

"I mean, why not? You finish your school work?"

Mikey nodded a bit reluctantly.

"Awesome! Hop aboard and lets get flying."

Mikey hesitated a moment before climbing onto Danny's back. He didn't mind heights, not really. But the fact that the only thing between him and falling to an untimely death was a sometimes corporeal spirit of a dead teen wasn't exactly something that inspired the safe feelings.

The first time he was given a lift, he had been a little to preoccupied with the events from before and the possibility of falling to notice anything else. This time however, he was a little more prepared and so became aware of how cool it was to actually fly.

He could feel the chilly air blow past his face and through red hair, smelling fresher and crisper than the air near the ground. It was oddly exhilarating to fly like this. Like he was on a laid back rollercoaster who's tracks weren't set. It probably helped that the ghost consciously seemed to try to keep and even course towards their destination.

"Where are we going?" He asked the ghost.

"Who knows?" Was Danny's reply. "Wherever we want."

They were headed nowhere. They could go anywhere, actually anywhere. Flying and being able to turn invisible while being able to go through walls would let you go anywhere. As much as he, and Amity as a whole, were getting used to ghosts and ghost attacks it still never really occurred to him that ghosts could go and do anything anywhere at anytime. Sure when the ghosts where _there_ it was obvious how outmatched they were compared to them, even those blobby ghosts.

Yet he never really heard about them doing any vandalizing or stealing. The Fentons were always making a fuss about how ghosts were all mindless evil imprints that were programed with a way of being. Obsessed with one thing or another and not caring who or what they harmed in the process. If that was true, wouldn't at least _one_ of those ghosts sneak into a department store and grab a TV or something? It'd be really easy for them to do, but wouldn't it be noticed or did Phantom stop them from doing that? He'd ask but he didn't know how the ghost would react. It was evident that ghosts were at least more complex then what the Fentons said, or at least the humanoid ones were. Those blobs seemed pretty mindless in their terrorizing.

Phantom himself could be stealing them blind if he wanted, but he didn't seem to do that unless one counted that whole fiasco that involved some circus? He wasn't to sure about that and the details were fuzzy, he hadn't been paying much attention at the time. But he remembers hearing that the ghost heavily denied his part in that, something about mind control and if ghosts were real then why not mind control? So stealing was probably out the door on that, so then what did Phantom even do when he wasn't fighting ghosts? Did he ever even stop or was he always looking for other ghosts? Could he even ask?

"Uh, what... what do you do in your free time?"

Danny craned his neck around to look at Mikey, an uncomfortable angle if he was anyone else. "What? Like my hobbies?"

Mikey shrugged, regretting his decision to say anything but not wanting to return to the awkward silence that was from before. "Sure, you can't be fighting ghosts all the time, right? You'd aught to know some cool places to hangout at or do something, right?"

"Yeah, I hangout with my friends. I do fight a lot but usually nothing too big pops up. I play video games like Doom and stuff, read up on what's new, I like astronomy, and just... ya know, do things? Nothing too interesting I guess, but I know this one place that has good food and the a park's always open. Man, didn't realize how much of my time was spent fighting ghosts until now, haha, I need more hobbies. What about you Mikey? What do you like doing?"

"I play video games and hangout with my friends too, Doom's pretty awesome. I spend a lot of time reading and, well, homework takes a while."

"You're doing one of your bully's homework, right? That's gotta take up a lot of your time."

"Yeah... you probably think I'm pretty lame huh?"

"Nah, you got a brain and use it. I'd say that'd land you as pretty awesome," Danny said.

"But I get bullied and I'm _helping_ my bullies, don't you think-"

"Yeah, that's not the smartest thing for you to do." Danny cut him off. "Empowering them and stuff does you no favors but it doesn't help them too much either. But it's even more of a shame on them for bullying you and it sucks; they have this power over you and you can't feasibly get them to back off. It's _wrong_ of _them_ that they're picking on you and using their status against you. It's not your fault. You're not picking fights with them and they're abusing you and the people they think are 'beneath' them.

"These powers, over the living, I could bully anyone I want but I don't. I mean, getting bullied, it makes you feel like crap, right? It's meant to humiliate the victim to make the bully feel better about _themselves_. It's a disgusting abuse of power and I refuse to do it. Yeah, I've self indulged and shoved a bully or two in a locker and I regret it. But what does that make me? Where does that leave me? It's an empty victory to pull on over on them and it doesn't really teach them to _stop_ hurting you. Point being you shouldn't take it. They shouldn't dish it out. The teachers should be helping you instead of enabling them.

"You're dealing with an already tough situation and doing the best you can given the problem. However, if you keep letting yourself get beaten down your situation isn't going to change. Stop doing their work, it doesn't help anyone. They never learn the subject and your time is leached away. Talk to a teacher, to the principle or vice principle. If they _still_ brush it off raise a bigger fuss with others backing you. Get a restraining order. There's a lot you can do to help your situation but it's _not_ and _never will be_ your fault that _they_ decided to hurt you. Do you understand that Mikey?"

Mikey nodded unsurely. On some level he did, but it was hard to believe that it wasn't his fault. He got kicked down enough to sort of expect it, but what Phantom said rang true. He just couldn't do it. He wasn't brave and he was scared what would happen if Dash found ever found out.

Danny sighed. "You don't have to do anything right now, it's okay to plan what you want to do. But, remember that you _can_ do something and that being idle won't get you going anywhere. A mouse compared to a human is significantly weaker, but a mouse can still burrow to where a human can't reach. Just because you're the mouse doesn't mean you have to get stepped on. Hm? But it's a bit late, I'll drop you off, maybe we could hang out in the park this weekend?"

Mikey smiled. "Sure, and... thanks Phantom."

"No problem, dude!"


End file.
